A real challenge to a teacher at this level is to give kids new information and find ways for them to actually incorporate new vocabulary and grammar in their spontaneous production of the language. You really have to create multiple opportunities for kids to use this new material that you've given them.

- Fran Pettigrew

Year at a Glance

Teen Culture

Student life

Fashion and clothes

Entertainment

Leisure time

Rights and Responsibilities

Home

School

Community

Future Plans and Choices

Education plans

Vacation plans

Careers and jobs

Environment or Humanities

School Profile
Fran Pettigrew teaches Spanish III at McLean High School in McLean, Virginia. Located four miles from Washington, D.C., the community of over 60,000 includes professionals and U.S. government employees, as well as international businesspeople and government officials. The 1,500-student high school is fairly diverse; 20 percent are Asian, largely from Korea. About 50 languages are spoken by McLean's international student population, although most students do not need ESOL classes. The school focuses on college preparation and offers Spanish, French, German, and Latin language classes.

Lesson Design
When designing her lessons, Ms. Pettigrew draws upon the Fairfax County Program of Study, a series of themes and topics for each level of language study (see Resources). She also works with the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning, the K-12 Performance Guidelines, and authentic materials to create thematic lessons that match her students' level of linguistic and cognitive development. At this level, she wants students to communicate in multiple time frames, interpret authentic texts at intermediate or advanced levels, and understand key points and some details when reading or listening to a native speaker.

The Lesson
By the time Ms. Pettigrew's students began the lesson on creating travel advice, they had practiced talking about their own vacations. They had also researched one of several vacation spots in the U.S. and prepared to discuss their findings with their classmates. This lesson moved students away from thinking about personal experiences and toward more abstract thinking, an important part of Level 3 learning. Students' final letters to the Chilean teacher served as a written performance record.

Key Teaching Strategies

Getting Information From Authentic Materials: The teacher provides students with authentic materials from which they draw information that can be used in discussion or in other follow-up activities.

Integrating the Communicative Modes: The teacher plans a series of tasks that involve all three Communication standards. Students often begin with an interpretive task that provides new content and new language for interpersonal discussion. The new content and language are then combined in an oral or written presentation.

Student Grouping: The teacher designs activities that allow students to engage in multiple types of interactions, including working with partners, in small groups, and as a whole class.

Top-Down Reading: The teacher leads students through an effective process for reading by having them first skim a text, and then scan it for specific information.